#Jack black really out here stealing her man

[the-untalented-photographer]

[crushedsweets]

WWHAT WUD THE CREEPS DO 4 HALLOWEEN I MUST KNOW

anon... yes i like this. general disclaimer this is tailored to my au !! stuff under cut

toby likes it, thinks its fun and stuff. he's not the type to dress up beyond like, maybe a jacket and a mask or whatever, but he'll go and buy(steal) stupid ass halloween decorations from spirit or the dollar store. there r several mini skeletons sitting around his cabin. he treats it like elf on the shelf, but. . . skeletons... def will sit around and watch scary movies with a bag of halloween candy . totally carves pumpkins with whoever will do it with him

tim wouldnt really want to do much cuz he's just tired, but he probably would put out a small little pumpkin and bowl of candy outside his door. he's in an apartment so he doesnt really get trick or treaters. will prob buy some candy after halloween so its on sale

brians so annoying omfg(lovingly) he'd buy a fake arm, blood, and wig and stick it in his trunk so it looks like an arm is sticking out. yall know what im talking about. him and tim share an apartment so he'd prob try to actually put something simple around it, like some plastic pumpkins, but nothing really big. he is also a grown man with no kids, so he doesnt find himself going all out for these things

natalie. ok i recently made it where she's either already a tattoo artist, or learning to be a tattoo artist or whatever, but i could see her and some coworkers setting up the shop all halloweeny. she's so fucking tall that they'd just call her over for all the spider web stuff. she thinks its fun and she likes halloween a lot so it's cool. she'd get a huge kick out of doing halloween tattoos during october too. goes and hangs out with toby/nina for it

nina goes to parties . she HAS to get a whole new costume for every party. its super wasteful but she doesnt care all that matters is shes sexy. every year without fail she is a sexy gothic vampire for one of the parties. she works at hot topic, BUT she'd absofuckinglutely get a second job at spirit halloween for october. she's a creepy galll... def sets her apartment up super cutely, brings toby and nat over so they can carve pumpkins with her, tries to dress them up, etc. tons of halloween posts on her social medias too LOL shes so cute

jeff would prob also go to more like... weirder ( ?) parties with creeps and scary people roaming around just doing crazy shit. warehouse shit. prob finds someone to bring home and kill. he thinks its fun, its easier to just go about his days looking the way he does, he loves scaring the fucking shit out of people. doesnt decorate or wear costumes though, says its cringe LMFAO. hates how hyped nina is about it

jane and mary would totally decorate, but in a much more.. ? elegant ? way. like those tall skinny candles, swap out their doormat for something halloween themed, really nicely done pumpkins for some reason. jane would want to host a cute little halloween dinner for uni friends. probably just gets simple costumes, like she'd put on a witch hat and black dress and thats all, but its cute. takes sally (and ben, if sally asks him to come) trick or treating.

sally draws tons of drawings, loves disney halloween marathons, paints on pumpkins(doesnt like the smell of gutting them), etc. she'd decorate with jane cuz she lives w her. she loves it so much but she still gets scared of the animatronic things at stores and stuff LOL. begs ben to trick or treat w her. really embarrassing for ben

ben wouldnt do much besides like. he'd get worse w his internet trolling (scaring the fucking shit out of teens on the internet), start doing more actual hauntings bc nobody will believe his victims during october which means slender wont find out he's doing it. he would not want to go trick or treating..but he'd go with sally with a pillow case and he'd try to awkwardly stand further back but the ppl at the door would always b like 'aw dont be shy come here!' LOL

jack doesnt celebrate it, his family didnt really celebrate it much when he was human so he doesnt do it now. he does get kinda sad during holiday season though, cuz of obvious reasons, but halloween isnt the strongest Pain for him

liu is so fucking miserable theres no way. jk he'd set out like, some pumpkins and maybe get one of those lights that project ghosts onto his garage, but he wouldnt want to go all out or do anything to the inside of his house. jeff really liked halloween when he was younger so its kinda like ouch but he's getting overit. i guess. . .

kate doesnt..celebrate anything........ but when she does occasionally visit the cabin, maybe for food or a shower, and she sees toby decorated, she'd be happy to see it. she's kinda unsettling to be around, but she'd sit down and watch a movie with him in silence. then bring a massive bag of candy to the mine w her w/o telling toby. he just had to cope

ann and lulu dont do anything in the hospital. they dont really have any concept of time........... or the resources to decorate... and they dont get any trick or treaters... cuz theyre...stuck in an abandoned hospital in the woods . . . yeah..

ty for ask anoni like this one. very simple but very sweet

[plump-lips-imagine]

Ayeee I just found this blog and I just watched the movie a second time (For English cast and toootally not mainly Jack black Bowser) and it was AWESOME qwq

Can I have either a fic or hcs of a female reader just as obsessed with Bowser as he is with Peach and reader is here to change his mind, maybe even going as far to bring (and by bring I meant steal) the guy back to reader's castle/palace to show him the collection of him and his kingdom in reader's bedroom, look! reader even have a big statues of him in the private music/dance room where reader dream of dance to his music as he plays, or maybe even dance with him

My collection so far, I especially like to tell everyone I met about the story of how I got my Bowser and Junior plushie, I'ma share if interested

YOOOOO, Cool Drip! I Love the collection you have. It makes me lowkey jealous lol. I hope you Like what I made! I try to only make head cannons but it turned into this lol.

Marry Me, My Darling Bowser! (1/2)

You stand at the throne of the Bowser himself, with a confident and determined smile across. Bowser looks at you with a genuine look of disgust and annoyance, but that doesn't stop you from getting on one knee and holding out your hand.

"Bowser, My Dragon King! Will you Marry Me?"

He growls as he tries to hold back the fire that was rising in his chest.

"For the last time Pipsqueak, NO!"

You weren't dejected, not even in the slightest, as you stood back up and patted your dress down. You then let out a loud laughter that made His Majesty's eyes glow red.

"AHAHAH! Always a jokester. Is this any way to treat your future wife?"

"I mean it!!" "Aw, Come on. Don't be shy! I even proposed myself, so you didn't feel like you had to. We were just meant to be!"

Bowser claws at his throne as a bottle of rage was about to erupt inside of him. His minions look at him nervously, backing away ever so slightly.

"Are you dense?! I hate you! I don't harbor anything for you! I Only love Peach. Why can't you just leave me alone!?!"

Everything was coming out of one ear as you slyly grin at him.

"Playing hard to get, huh? I like that in a man." A vein pops on Bowser's head. "Oh please, my darling. Let me make me happy. I'll be the best wife you'll ever have!!......Well,only wife you'll have too!"

Bowser's Flame comes in your direction, The flame barely missing a part of your dress that was scorched when you dodged it.

"........Alright, I understand. You're a little stressed and the proposal was lacking. Don't worry! I'll come back with a better one next week. Get some rest, My love!" As you exit, the Koopa guards quickly closed the door in order to subside the King's anger. With a heavy groan, Bowser turns to Kamek, who jolts in surprise.

"If that Girl so much as steps into this Kingdom, I want her thrown out immediately. Got it!"

"Y-Yes Sire!!"

***

Aw Man!! I really thought I had him with that one!!" You pouted as you stomped around the room in a huff.

"Your Highness, please come down." Your attendant calmly says, watching your miniature tantrum.

Oh Yeah. I forgot to mention an important detail.

You are Princess (Y/N), Ruler of the Poison Shroom Kingdom. Your Kingdom was Known for its vicious wildlife of piranha, the poisonous ecosystem of purple ooze, and not to mention the not-so-soft toads that were under your rule as they were taller stronger, and more intimidating than that of the Mushroom Kingdom, with darker tones to match. Safe to say, you don't get many visitors around here.

But it's not so bad wants you get used to it. It was home to you. The purple theme of the castle was beautiful to those who took the time to see it. It was also home to many rare herbs and medicine for those needing cures for ailments of any kind, with you being an expert on the topic yourself.

This is one of the reasons why the Toads also like you as their ruler. You were very kind to them and actually cared about them, no matter how dangerous a job was. They are extremely loyal to you to a fault. They respect every decision you make. Well, almost.

"Honestly, Princess. I don't see what you see in such a brute anyway. He's such a monster. I don't see how you love such a dangerous creature in the first place."

You let out a dramatic gasp, looking back at your royal attendant who just rolled their eyes at who.

"Toadye!! That is no Monster! That is my Future Dragon King!! He just has a hard time saying his true feelings about me is all! We're soulmates, I just know it!"

Toadye, your most loyal attendant. She is also what you consider to be your best (only) friend as she has been with you for the longest time. She was a tall toad, her mushroom heads a dark violet with black spots at the center, and dark black hair to compliment her look.

"Princess, as your servant and as your friend. He has too many red flags."

"He just a little misunderstood. I swear that I have the charm to break his walls."

Toadye gives you a look.

"Right, you mean that time you 'invited' him to our Kingdom he oh so loved visiting."

Right. So, you maaaaay have 'technically' kidnapped him that one time to get home to your Kingdom. But it was for a good reason!!!

"That was a misunderstanding! I was going to just patch him up after he got hurt by his many battles. He was unconscious so I was sure he didn't mind if I brought him home to heal him."

"Ma'am, he literally tried to burn your face off and destroyed half the village."

"Well....Water under the bridge. :)"

Toadye slaps her face in exhaustion. Man, were you as stubborn as a mule."

"Toadye, I swear. He isn't as bad as he seems to be." You walk over to your bed, picking up a large homemade Bowser Plushie, and hugging it to your body.

"I see something in those large ruby eyes. I just want him to give me a chance. It'll happen soon, I just know it.

Toadye looks at you hugging and swooning for the Plush in your hands and sighs. She doesn't get it, but she'll stand by you in your pursuit.

***

"MY DARLING~!"

Bowser flinches at the familiar voice and groans. Peach looks at him confused in the cage she is being held prisoner in. Mario was the only one that could make his face scrunch up in displeasure like that, but she didn't recognize the voice that entered out of nowhere.

Several noises of struggles could be heard in the distance as the castle violently shook a bit, a red koopa came it sliding on the back of his shell, knocked out and dizzy which made Peach flinch at the chaos that was happening.

She was surprised to see a woman come from the throne room entrance. And a royal too! She's kinda like her.

"Bowser! My Beloved, Please Marry Me! I'd fight a thousand koopas for you!" You say with a love-struck gaze in your eyes that made Peach give you a look. By the chaos that was happening behind you, she could tell you weren't lying.

Well, more or less like her.

Bowser glares down at you. Fighting the urge to throw you out.

"You got a lot of nerve coming back here."

"A wife never leaves her husband alone too long." :)

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Why must you push away your soon-to-be wife like so" You put on your best crocodile tears to tease him a bit.

"Grrrr." a low grumble can be heard from his chest.

He rubbed his face, letting out a puff of smoke. He then glances back at Peach for a quick second and gives a smirk back at you.

"As you can see, I am far too busy making arrangements for the actual love of my life. If you can excuse us, I'm busy with my conversation with Peach." The sneered in his condescending tone made it clear that he was dropping huge hints at you.

however, you only look at the cage that he was presenting to you with a blank stare. Peach felt herself shrink at your gaze. If you love Bowser this much, she didn't know what to do if you saw her as a potential threat. It's bad enough that she has to deal with Bowser.

"Peach..." You mumbled softly. As you took a step forward towards her cage, causing her to take a slight step back in the limited space.

But She wasn't ready for the full sprint that you took towards her, jumping into the bars of her cage, griping tight as you cause the cage to jerk in place. Peach jumps back at your sudden movements as she feels her heart in her mouth from your sudden closeness. She almost lost one of her lives there.

"You're Peach! I've finally got to meet you in Person! My Fiancé has talked about you a lot! You rule the Mushroom Kingdom I Believe. You are so much prettier than he ever described you to be! We should hang out! Have you ever seen the Poison Mushroom Kingdom! I could be your tour guide! I'm Princess (Y/N) btw." You rambled to Peach, not taking a second to breathe.

"Uh,....huh....ummm?" Peach could only look at you flabbergasted at the energy that you have leaped at her with. Your forwardness and surprising friendliness made her forget the predicament that she was in. "Hi?"

"Hey! Leave the Princess alone, Pipsqueak!!" Bowser stomped his way towards you, causing Peach to jump again, being reminded of his presence here.

"Relax, My love. I was just making a friend. Sitting in this cage must be so tiring for a Princess like her.' You turn to look back at her. " Hey, wanna get out of this cage and hang? I got some great places to recommend. Do you like Pizza-"

Bowser could be heard behind you. He quickly grabs you in his claws and gives you a slight squeeze to make you stop your rambles. He brings you close to his face, and you see his eyes glow red in anger. "Listen, Brat. I'm tired of your games and your stubborn delusions getting in the way of my happiness. Get out of here before I am forced to burn you to a crisp!!

You noticed the flames that can be heard in his throat and frowned at him with a disappointed look on your face, "So mean.... This isn't how you're supposed to treat your spouse." You whispered but you quickly bring a smile to your face. ".... Alright fine. I'll go." You jump out the bars of the cage and run back to the entrance.

"I'll just wait until the red guy saves you again. I saw him not too long ago. It shouldn't be long. I'll make sure to visit you once you're back home. Bye, Peach!" You run out before Bowser can yell out at you for the backhand insult that you gave him.

Peach found herself slowly waving goodbye out you even though you were already gone.

She wouldn't mind if she saw you again.

Bowser Huffs at you then turns back to Peach, trying to fix face with his 'charming' smile.

"Now. Where were we~?"

Peach Rolls her eyes. Oh brother.

***

It's been about a week after the faithful encounter with Princess Toadstool herself, but you promised to visit her as soon as possible when she got saved.

You stood at the entrance of Prach's Castle. Two of her toads stood up right at the entrance with shields, guarding the door. The toads that decided to accompany you stared at them with an 'unimpressed ' look written on their face, including a dangerous aura that surrounded your toad guards. Toadye was right beside you, making sure nothing funny was happening.

The toads that were guarding the door already looked petrified.

"What...What business do you have here?" The toad on the asked, standing his ground.

You walked up to them calmly, with a big smile on your face.

"Good afternoon, Citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. My name is (y/n). I have come from the Kingdom of the Poison Mushrooms, and I am the princess of that Kingdom. My business today is to speak with the Princess of this castle. She was rescued not too long ago, and I felt a princess on- on-one would be a nice way for her to relax after the stressful situation."

You greeted as gracefully as you could with your gloved hands held tight to each other in anticipation. the looks on the guards' faces didn't ease up the anxiety that swell inside your chest. They seemed even more on edge hearing your Kingdom's name.

one clears his throat and straightens up. "I'm sorry that you have come this far, your majesty. But our Princess is very busy at the moment. I'm afraid she is not taking any visitors as of now"

Your smile falls a little at this news. Surely she could have enough time to at least speak with you. It has been a while and the path to becoming best friends is to keep in touch with one another.

"A-Are you sure? I don't mind waiting a little bit, but I would be happy to speak with her for just a few minutes. Just to let her know that I'm here?"

"We highly suggest that you come at another time. The p-princess has enough on her plate as it is." The other guard speaks up.

"Are you suggesting that your princess can't handle a few minutes to speak to a guest that has so graciously come all this way to check on her wellbeing?" Toadye buts in, crossing their arms together and glaring at the guards.

the guards' eyes widened in astonishment at her blunt words that they could barely register what she said."

"W-What are you implying?"

"I'm just curious as to why Princess Peach has two of her door guards tell us that she couldn't possibly come to the door for royal company. Are 2 minutes of her time that valuable that she can't tell us herself that she cannot have guests or.....Are you perhaps lying through your teeth?" She says without batting an eye at the two, making the toads hold their breaths.

You step in.

"HEeheh,ummmm, what my advisor is trying to say is that...We just want to see if the Princess is okay. I consider her to be someone I find a connection with, and I just want to bring relief to her Princess life. Someone who understands. But if she is too busy, I guess we'll leave."

the solemn look on your face hits the guards with hard guilt to their chest. they didn't think you would be this ad about it. before they could say anything else, the castle doors begin to open. Everyone steps back and it reveals Princess Peach herself with an elderly toad next to her.

She looks surprised to see your standing there with your own guard and advisor. "Princess (Y/N)?"

"Peach!!" You run up to her and gave her a big hug, but then quickly let go to hold onto her hands, with a huge smile on your face.

The guards, your guards, the elderly toad, and Toadye look with shock at your forward approach to Peach. It was so casual that it seemed like a capital offense.

Peach flinched at the sudden display of affection, but she soon calmed down and actually began to smile as well. She held your hands in hers too. It was actually nice to see you visit.

"Princess (Y/N), I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't show up today. I was starting to think something bad had happened."

"Pfft what no! I'm alright. I heard from your guards that you were too busy today. I was about to leave."

"Really. Is that so?" Peach gave the guards a look that made them look the other way. "No matter. I want to get to know you. I have tea and cake waiting inside the castle. Oh! -"

The princess looks back at the elderly toad by her side. 'Princess (Y/n), this is Toadswroth, he is my royal advisor and has taken care of me ever since I was a baby."

You step back and bow politely, albeit a little clumsily though.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Toadsworth. You look go for your age. You must be a hard-working toad!" He only chuckles and bows back.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, princess."

You stand back up and gesture to Toadye. "Thsi is my loyal advisor Toadye. We are like two peas in a pod and she's been protecting me since I was young. she may be a bit mean, but she's really a sweetheart! Right,Toadye?

She stares at them for a second and gives a nod in acknowledgment. "A pleasure." As aloof as ever.

Princess Peach breaks the awkward silence with a cough. "Now then, let's have tea shall we?" She gestures inside as you go inside the castle.

You're very first Tea party!

[httpwintersoldier]

small marvel rant?

I believe the reason why so many people disliked Black Widow's movie is because it wasn't a movie about Black Widow, it wasn't centered around anynthing important for Natasha, more than anything it served as a way to establish Yelena as a new hero/anti-hero.

And yes, we've seen movies be used to introduce other heroes, like Captain America: The Winter Soldier introducing Sam Wilson, but the difference here is that Sam wasn't overwhelming in the plot - sam was essential, yes, but not overwhelming. At no point in the movie did he become the center, the center was always steve, the winter soldier, and the both of them dealing with each other's presence. It was great character introduction because while he played a vital role, he didn't steal the attention from the main characters and from the main plot.

while in Black Widow the movie is supposed to be about Natasha but suddenly the spotlight is turned to this family that had never been mentioned before?? Like she is probably, out of all the og avengers, the one whose past you could explore the most, the one with a past interesting enough to make a great movie about - yet you take this opportunity to introduce a bunch of characters that mean jack shit and that have never been mentioned before??

Instead of focusing on Natasha and her past we get a bunch of yelena, to the point where I started asking myself if it was really a black widow movie or if they just wanted to find a way to insert this new character and just decided to use this loved and pre-established character as a scapegoat to do so (like they did with Hawkeye but I don't think anyone gives a shit that much with hawkeye)

Like they mention the institution she grew up in and there's a fight scene but that is such a small percentage compared to the rest of the film. And I know Natasha is known for some ironic one-liners here and there but given her past and her personality a more somber/darker movie (like MoM or CA:TW) would've matched so much more and would've been amazing, instead we got this Ant-Man/Guardians wannabe movie with a bunch of goofballs running around and a terrible russian (was it even russian?) accent.

[brights-place]

LJ Headcannons

Warnings: Slight Gore, Fluff, Swearing

A/N: I love LJ so here’s some dumb Headcannons for him!

- He allows Sally to paint his claws sometimes but gets rid of them before a kill.

- He tries to act sweet with the creepypasta kids but due to his experience with Issac he seems to be creepy. Took the kids awhile to try get to know him more.

- Thrives on pranks and competes with Kagekao and April Fools

- Bipolar

- gets into some arguments with Kagekao on who’s the better dressed in Black and white…

- Jill and ChessMaster always glance at eachother before recording the scene.

- He likes to watch Some creepypasta sleep since He dosen’t need to He finds it weird.

- When you came to the mansion he started to poke you whenever you where sleeping

- LJ takes particular interest to befriend most of the children of the slender mansion trying his best but when it comes to his victims it’s a whole diffrent story.

- like to talk about his victims and how he kills them.

- Very Childish

- He dosen’t understand emotions that well.

- When he’s angered He’s either very creepy or he flips onto the floor and throws a tantrum like a child due to the fact he had been surrounded by kids his whole existence

- These temper tantrums is how he thinks how people should be upset Lora do people get hurt though.

- about 7’3-8’0 Mans Lanky and can tower over yall.

- Hates being left alone, forgotten or ignored he would throw a huge fit.

- Slender created a rule to never touch the music box until it changes spots.

- LJ use to find it comfortable to be in the box at first when entering the mansion and rarely would come out unless he went out to do his little Adventures.

- Likes to dress up whenever he can - Jane caught him wearing her dress once when LJ was bored and was so fucking confused

- He smacks the shit out of anybody who comments on why he wore a dress around the place. - Jeff Was so confused and tried to make fun of LJ but got smacked

- “You Ugly Brat! I look fashionable”

- He dosen’t swear much he uses words such as ‘Butt hole’ and ‘Poop Brain’ as insults unless he’s really pissed then he’s going to start cussing like there’s no tomorrow.

- Enjoy Listening to Classics music or HyperPop music he’s open to any but he likes Classical music and Hyperpop more.

- Very sharp teeth - Two sets of teeth like a shark.

- He has poisoned sweets in his left pocket and Non-poisoned in his right

- He dosen’t know his lefts and rights so sometimes he gives Somebody a poisoned one by accident.

- Doctor smiley hates LJ for the amount of times he gave Toby, Sally, and Zero poisoned candy by accident.

- purposely trips over Candypop once for stealing his sweets.

- Likes to mimic the personality of his new “owners” (aka his victims)

- Very stretchable and can jump super high

- He Likes to Hum to pop goes the weasel multiple times

- You Can Hear him from a mile away because of his humming of the song. - He will throw hands if someone disses on his outfit and style. - Laughing Jill and Laughing Jack glare at eachother before doing hand shake. - Sometimes LJ and Jill decided to swap outfits for some days - LJ watches Sally bake and asks questions sometimes. - LJ absolutely HATES electronics due to him being in the 1800s he hated the new generation. - One of the kids he looked after was a Gen Z... - He was stuck in his box bawling his eyes out. - LJ can waltz dance. He taught sally - Likes to file his claws to make them sharper. - EJ and LJ stare at eachother before walking past - "Jack" "Hm.. Jack" - Every Now and then he likes to steal the toys from his victims or small items as trophies. - He likes to rip every single thing out of his victims chests and body. - Guts them all out. - Lulu and Ej along with other Cannibals complain how LJ and multiple others waste the amount of month worth of meat was wasted. - LJ has a very heavy accent which is hard to hear and understand so it took other CPs awhile to understand him

[ribcageteeth]

I forgot to ask. 14, 63, 49, 50, 43, 38.

Oh gosh let's see...

14) favorite "controversial" horror film

Maniac. Yes yes, it's horribly violent and grimy and it makes you feel like you want to have a shower once it's done, that's the point and it makes it extremely well, but also it has a super incredible Tom Savini head explosion, and I'm such a slut for that. Kinda like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer without any wildly inaccurate "true story" claims, so it gets to go way way over the top with it!

63) favorite 70s horror film

Deep Red! It's a murder mystery, it's inexplicably supernatural, it's having an interesting conversation about gender with itself, it's full of creative kills and bright strawberry red fake blood, it's legitimately creepy, it's brilliantly shot... I could go on, I love that movie.

49) favorite horror film score/soundtrack

Candyman. That score gives me chills, and I think it perfectly highlights the dark romantic themes of the movie. Philip Glass really looked at this script and said "Ohh I get it, he's a Dracula" and he was SO RIGHT. Second place definitely goes to Suspiria though, that one also has an incredible score, and I will occasionally just sit and listen to it.

50) favorite horror film that takes place during your favorite season/time of year/holiday

Ginger Snaps! I don't know how it isn't more acknowledged as a halloween movie, that's the whole reason she gets away with being a wolf at the end! The climax happens at a halloween party! Also, unrelated, this movie has one of my favorite Horror Movie Moms I've ever seen, I think she's so funny and she steals every scene she's in.

43) favorite black and white horror film

Ok, I'm torn here between The Invisible Man, and The Bad Seed. On the one hand, The Invisible Man is a pre-code technical marvel with groundbreaking hand-done painstaking effects that still hold up to this day, and it's high-camp and hilarious. Jack Griffon is a chaotic bastardous gremlin of a man and I love him so much. On the other hand, The Bad Seed is a very fun example of an early stage-to-film adaptation in a post-code era that, upon conforming to film standards of the time, becomes even more high-camp and hilarious than the original production. Rhoda Penmark is a manipulative conniving murderous genius nine-year-old and I love her so much. Also. Oh my god. If you haven't seen The Bad Seed. The hays code dictated that you had to kill your villain in the end, no matter what, and you will never in a million years guess how they do it here.

38) favorite horror film that you physically own

Phone. It's a Korean film from 2002 and it freaks me oooooooout!! It's about a journalist who has to go into hiding after she writes a reputation-ruining piece about a sex scandal, and the guy involved starts sending threatening phonecalls. And she just. happens to hide out in the worst possible place for this. I saw it on xfinity's horror channel way back in the day, and once I started growing my dvd collection as an adult, I sought it out specifically.

Thanks so much for the ask! This was fun!

[nephilimbrute]

show .us

I haven't drawn one of the two yet cuz i didn't have motivation. I'll show my evil circus ocs though

i made these ocs back in like 2022 and my art style improves at a rapid pace, so they're well over due for redesigns. here are the performers/workers though :3c

- cirque de lumiere / circus of light is a french circus upholding a reputation of it being one of the greatest in france, with performances consisting of a giant cheshire cat, world's tallest man, even one of the most spectacular magicians. though, more sinister things happen under the big top

fratellini / The Saint or "Saint the Fool" (knife-juggling clown, she/her). she's very silly and likes to mess with the other performers. montblanc is her best friend

françois / "François the Great" (magician, he/him). flamboyant fuck that does all the "mind-controlling" at the circus. he likes to bother aesop, working with him to steal other's belongings when they're not looking

aesop / "He Who Talks to Crows" (crow tamer, he/him). obviously, he tames crows. kinda like a lion tamer, but his crows steal jewelry from the audience when they are too busy being enamored by the show

^^^ this drawing was made 2 months ago, just haven't got to coloring it. it is a redesign for them though, the names on the bottom are their former names cuz i changed them (or their stage names)

montblanc / "The Cheshire" (cheshire cat, he/him). veery giddy kitty. his voice claim is of course, sterling holloway (voice actor of the cheshire cat in 1951 alice in wonderland). he loves surprises and often dismisses questions, liked by everybody in the circus

apollon / "Big Top" (strongman, he/him). i haven't got to redrawing him yet so the anatomy is off ^^; it's the original drawing. anyways he's cocky and a big show-off. yes he's half spider

as you can see montblanc is also a recent drawing which i haven't colored yet

cassius / "Cassius the Warrior" (stuntman, he/him). he isn't really developed that well, but he performs dangerous stunts for the audience, though he's very jumpy. works well with montblanc and jack

mister (or wilheim) / "The Living Nutcracker" (nutcracker idk what he does, he/him). he's also Severely underdeveloped. made him as a christmas special and revealed him on christmas day last year. he lives up to the whole british soldier thing, he does whatever he is told to do n stuff

vivienne / "Black Widow" (vaudeville/cabaret?, she/her). she's kind of a flirt, she puts on performances for the more mature audiences. i like her and this drawing just made me realize how tall she is

now THIS is old. vivienne is the only one i drew recently, i'll be putting her at the end. also cassius' design was designed by a friend:3

chono (ringmaster, he/him). he's the lead of the circus, very very evil

nato (he/him) is chono's assistant. he's on high alert a good amount of the time

jack (or jacqueline) / "Jack-in-the-Box" (surprise performer, she/her). she loves to surprise people when fratellini cranks the handle on her box and she pops out. she can be foul-mouthed and rude, always getting in people's faces n' such

...yyeaah this one is also old. though i made some adjustments to the colors a few months ago, the style and stuff is still old

vanitas (or nicolaes) / "Memento Mori" (puppeteer, he/him) is the nicest circus performer. he puts on puppet shows, when he speaks he adapts the personality of what puppet he's using, and he'll often make up a conversation. his puppets are commedia dell'arte characters. when not using any puppet, he talks normally + he's polite. his 'face' is a mask by the way

this drawing i made like 3 days ago lol. it's his redesign concept, his original one i just went head-first and i still don't like it >.>

and last but not least these two. first we have baroness (or marie-christine) / "Dangerously Yours" (singing entertainment, she/her). she also puts on shows for the more mature audiences, in which she'll sing on a stage. her songs are often quite dark, the audience never realizes it though. her design is also by the friend who made cassius

and on the right is primadonna (or marcel. mime, she/her) who is, of course, a mime. i think her face is her actual face. my sister helped design this one

i made these doodles like, a month or two ago. just concepts so i can get their designs down

that's Allll for the circus performersssss ^w^^^^ hope u enjoy them. Oh and there's this other one who's been stuck in concept stage (i haven't even drawn them yet), their name is El Lissitzky, based on the real El Lissitzky's paintings. think they're gonna be a painter as well

onto old/new pieces... wwweeew

^ here's that vivienne piece i mentioned. i posted her to this blog already...

the original designs and how they're supposed to look when colored:3c also this montblanc is a slightly updated version of his original drawing to make his fur look better

and finally vanitas' original design... yeaahh. wanted to go for a jester-like look, his design is somehow simultaneously too much and too little. i never really had a proper concept for him beforehand, just the silhouette of what he was supposed to look like. strongly disliking the colors thou

also recent apollon i did as a style test:3 all of these circus performers have a voice claim BTW :P

...I think this was a reaaaalllly long post

[yakumtsaki]

We’re backoix but without Wyatt for the first time since 2017💔 Jojo is fucking devastated and goes on an autonomous home maintenance spree but keeps stopping to cry:

-OH WYATT, HE LOVED TO SLEEP IN THIS BED

-OH WYATT, HE LOVED TO SNOOZE ON THE LAWN

Ugh my poor Jojo, I know what will cheer you up, why don’t we go wait for the wolf? 

-OH WYATT, HE LOVED TO NAP IN THIS TENT

-Hey Shaj. -Hi grandma, how are you? -I’m sharing the mausoleum with Wyatt now, so not great. What’s going on here? -Literally nothing, even Cyneswith hasn’t had a new lover for like a week.

-Who needs lovers when I have my Dobrie?💗 

I can’t stress enough how ridic this relationship is, Dobronega hates absolutely everyone including her own kittens. The fuck, Cyn, are you using the voodoo doll on the pets now?

-Of course not, I’d never override an animals free will!🌸

Right, what are they, men who refuse to immediately fall in love with you? 

-Exactly!💗

Time for our mandatory ‘a new day starts’ ritual.

-Ok everyone, let’s knock this one out cause I have to get ready for work. Cyn how could you?? -Oh Donnie I’m so sorry!🌸 -𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙾𝙽𝙴, 𝙶𝚄𝚈𝚂, 𝚂𝙴𝙴 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝚃𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙾𝚁𝙾𝚆.

The kitts grew up! This is Scorpion, under him is Ermac, on the right is Mileena, and under her Kitana, who is the chonkiest one and thus the automatic heir! I’m gonna send the other 3 to live with Angel and Wulf while Sophie is at work because she throws Komei-tier tantrums whenever a pet leaves.

So Sandy is a romance sim, which I keep forgetting, and is like 1 second away from aspiration failure, so it’s time for a blind date. I spend the max amount and we get GILBERT JACQUET?? LMAO. Do you guys feel like he’s open-minded enough to date a zomb? They have 3 bolts tho, his turn-ons are black hair/green eyes so I guess that was enough to overcome the rotting part?? 

This is going great?? Honestly wtf. Gilbert tell me the truth, does she remind you of your mother?

What’s up Sophito, how was school?

-What the hell is this?! 

I’m sure you already know what it is since you went out of your way to cockblock, but this is Sandy on a date. 

-Well stop it, I don’t like it! 

Ya despite what Sophie has told you, the world doesn’t revolve around Sophito Union’s wishes.

-My world does!

Guess who got fired on his second day!

-𝙶𝙾𝙾𝙳 𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝚂𝚄𝙶𝙰𝚁; 𝚆𝙴𝙻𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙴 𝙷𝙾𝙼𝙴. -WAAAAAH 

-OH, WYATT, OH CRUEL FATE

-FUCK YOU AND YOUR ONE CHANCE AT HAPPINESS, SANDY

Ya ok I’ve had enough of this house-

-let’s gtfo, Cyn! It’s hoeing time. 

-When isn’t it!💗

Huhu!🌸

-Huhu!💗

Man this place is DEAD. Where tf is everyone?

-They’re on the terrace, dumbass.

Ok that’s a lot of lip from you, bandana-bowtie. To the terrace! 

OMG IT’S CORNROW DOWNTOWNIE. The top townies I wanna marry in genetics-wise is this guy and Hot Downtownie that Shaj brought from work the other day. I zoom out all happy to have Cyn go talk to him and what do I see??

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME. WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, JACK DO

-OVER MY DEAD BODY IS CYNESWITH CHEATING ON ME IN THIS RESTAURANT WHERE MY OPPRESSIVE MOTHER IS THE MAITRE D’!!!

OH FFS

We relocate to this weird hot tub club where thankfully none of our existing lovers are. 

-Oooh, Neon Vest Downtownie is hot!💗   -Fuck me, here comes the voodoo doll. 

-SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND, VESTIE!!!🌸

Hehehe, ok Cyn let’s knock this one out on location because we’ve really fallen behind!

-Ya so I’ve been increasingly concerned about nuclear weapons- 

-WILL YOU TWO GET A ROOM FOR YOUR POLITICAL DISCUSSION? WE’RE TRYING TO HAVE PUBLIC SEX HERE

Kaching!!! Man that was quick, thank you, Neon Vest Downtownie!

You don’t walk from the table when you’re on a roll, so we move on to this guy, who I thought was Komei’s old enemy Shea Johnston, but is actually a ginger version of him.  

-Didn’t you use to steal my grandpa’s garden gnome?💗 -Oh no, that was my evil twin brother! I’m the nice one!   -Aww, we have so much in common, I’m the nice one with an meanie sister too!🌸

-Now let me just channel the ancient evil of voodoo to manipulate your consciousness!💗

-Oh, Ginger Shea Johnston, let’s take this upstairs to the hot tub, it’s more public!🌸

Bro I love Cyn so fucking much, on her way upstairs to the hot tubs with GSJ she stops to flirt with the Count, LOL

-Hiiii, didn’t you use to sleep with my grandma?💗 -I sure did! -Seems like a good family tradition, huhu!🌸

-Oh Cyneswith, today is the best day of my life! -It better be, my daddy worked really hard for that voodoo doll!💗

Never stood a chance, against us, GSJ!

-Hey girl, if you ever get tired of these warm meatbags you know where to find me!🧛

Ya Count, we actually DON’T know where to find you, that was also our big problem when Victoria wanted to bang you.  

-Oh, I live in the animal sanctuary! Bat section.🧛 

You don’t have an ancestral castle on top of a misty hill? What kind of flop vampire even are you??

-You know what the rent for ancestral castles is these days??��

Good Lord, get out of here Count Bumula, you’re ruining our night. Time to return home, Cyn, great job! 

I was hoping Sophito would outgrow this Sandy bullshit on his own but clearly I have my work cut out for me.

-Look Sandy, another A+++! Much better than some stupid momma’s boy baker, right??

You of all people wanna talk about mommy issues, really? Go do your goddamn homework.

Valentina becomes an elder during her favorite activity: shitting on our flowers.

-You better put those dream date ones away, too tempting!

Val, let me just say, and I truly mean this, you are a literal monstrosity.  

Cyn rolls that ‘woohoo with a service sim’ want, so goodbye Kaylynn, it’s Remington time.

-So let me get this straight, you’re firing me because, and I quote, ‘You’re really sorry but you want a guy maid to raw you, huhu🌸’? -Exactly, huhu!💗 -You’ll be hearing from the labor department. 

-Oh hiii Lucy, welcome, now get out!🌸    

-OMG OMG HI I’M CYNESWITH💗 -Well hello, I’m Remington Harris and I’m a true professional as you can surely tell by my aggressive decolletage.  -Oh Remi, you’re a godsent, I’ve been so lonely in this house with only one available choice to cheat on my husband with!🌸 -Uh, what’s that now?

-Don’t worry about it!💗

Ah, the glory of love! Cyn do you think that having both iVan and Remington in the house everyday might not be like, a super good idea?

-Of course not, what could possibly happen, huhu?🌸

Well iVan already tried killing you once?

-Oh, he didn’t mean that, it was on oopsie!💗

Credit where it’s due, this is one aesthetic af affair-

-I MEAN!

-GODDAMMIT, MOTHER, DOES YOUR DEGENERACY KNOW NO END??

Sugar you little oedipal freak, did you seriously run out in the rain in your pjs just so you could do this? Even your father doesn’t give a fuck anymore! 

Finally, God decided to put an end to this house of sin.

-WHAT THE FUCK KID, STOP PUSHING ME INTO THE FIRE -SORRY, HOT DOWNTOWNIE, I WAS TRYING TO PUSH MY MOTHER

Finally the rain stops and it’s time for Cymi (Cyn + Remi, cute, right?) to defile Jojo’s wolfwatching tent. The very place where Wyatt napped??? Cyn, come on!

-It’s what daddy would have wanted, he was always supportive of my romantic endeavors!🌸

Ya I guess that’s true, ugh I miss Wyatt :(

Real talk, Jojo has been the saddest I’ve ever seen a sim be over a spouse’s death, like non-stop crying for days. I did get very emo just by seeing him sleep alone, but then he gets up and does something that freaked me out so much I straight up shut the game down..

..HE AUTONOMOUSLY GOES TO LOOK @ WYATT’S PORTRAIT. I swear I’m not making this shit up, at first I thought he was interacting with the urn, but then I check his action panel and it’s the ‘view’ thing @ the portrait!!! 

These aren’t ‘real’ portraits taken with the portrait mechanic (which I don’t know if even with those ones sims know whose portrait is whose), they’re screenshots I put into the custom painting folder which I then have the sims paint, so there’s no way game-wise that Jojo would know this is depicting Wyatt. I’m also 100% certain I’ve never had another sim in the family autonomously go view a death portrait, because I would have definitely taken a pic and included it in a post. Point is, bro I was already convinced Jojo was sentient and was equal parts freaked and moved..  

..and then he goes to Shajar’s portrait..

..AND DOES THIS. H E L P

[imekitty]

Maddie and Jack confront Freakshow about his supernatural control over Phantom. A twist on Control Freaks.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15

-----

Maddie and Jack approached the caboose of the Circus Gothica train, jumpsuit hoods up and goggles on.

"You ready?" asked Maddie, holding her ecto-gun in both hands and switching it on.

Jack switched on his gun as well. "After you, Mads."

Maddie walked up to the door of the caboose and jiggled the handle. Locked. She wasted no time changing the setting on her gun and blasting the door open.

"Hey, what—" yelled a man's voice.

Maddie marched inside the caboose and aimed her gun at the man, deathly pale with a pointed nose and a small bowler hat atop his bald head. Jack followed in right behind her, noting the piles of money, gold, and jewelry before pulling out his ghost detector.

The man held up his hands and backed into a wall. "Who are you two? What are you doing here?"

"Maddie, he's not a ghost," said Jack, holding up the ghost detector to show her its negative reading. "Might want to tone it down on that ecto-energy."

"Really? All right." Maddie changed the setting on her gun, causing it to whir with a new frequency.

"Of course I'm not a ghost," cried the man. "I'm—"

"Freakshow," said Maddie, walking up to him with her gun ready to fire again.

Freakshow blinked, tentatively lowering his hands. "Ah, yes. I am."

"We were watching the news this evening and saw security camera footage of Danny Phantom using his powers to break into a bank vault and steal from it," said Maddie, her voice calm but dangerous. "But Danny Phantom would never misuse his powers like that. Danny Phantom only uses his powers to defend the innocent from ghosts that wish to do them harm. That can only mean something—" Maddie raised her gun to point it at his face. "—or someone is controlling him."

Freakshow frowned, glancing between Jack and Maddie a couple times. "I'm sorry, who are we talking about? Who's Danny Phantom?"

"The ghost kid that wears a black and white jumpsuit," said Jack. "White hair. Human complexion."

"You mean Inviso-Bill?" asked Freakshow.

"His real name is Danny Phantom," said Maddie.

"Hmm." Freakshow stroked his chin. "Now that I think about it, I did hear his little girlfriend calling him that earlier today."

"Right," said Maddie. "She came to your circus to investigate why he was acting strange and discovered you were the one controlling him." Maddie revved up her gun and pointed it at him again. "Now tell us what you're using to control him."

Freakshow held up his hands. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You're human, not a ghost, so that means you're not using any sort of power to control him," said Maddie. "There must be some kind of object you're using."

"I have nothing like that, I assure you," said Freakshow.

"I will shoot you," said Maddie. "Don't test me."

"There's no need, Mads," said Jack. "I'm pretty sure this is what he's using."

Jack picked up a staff with a bat figure perched at the top. A ruby crystal ball was balanced between the tips of its wings, swirling with glowing energy.

"The spectral reading for this thing is off the charts," said Jack, looking down at his scanner.

"Hey, don't touch that!" whined Freakshow. "It's very fragile."

"What is this?" Maddie took the staff from Jack to get a closer look at the crystal ball's mesmerizing oscillations. "How does it work?"

"It's nothing," said Freakshow, shrugging. "It's just an electronic prop that lights up. It's for my show. It doesn't let me control ghosts, that's crazy—"

Maddie lowered her aim and shot him in the leg.

"Fuck!" Freakshow howled and dropped to the floor, clutching his shin. "What the fuck was that? Shit, fuck—"

"Calm down, it's just a concentrated ecto-ray," said Maddie. "I turned it down to a setting that won't cause permanent damage for humans."

"But it does hurt like a bitch," said Jack with a smile.

Freakshow clawed at his leg, clenching his teeth. "Motherfucker—"

"Are you going to tell us what we want to know?" asked Maddie. "Or do I need to shoot your other leg, too?"

"All right, all right, I'll tell you." Freakshow held up his hands to stop her. "Jesus fucking Christ, just put that thing down."

Maddie took a step back and lowered her gun but did not shut it off. She held up the staff. "What is this? And how are you using it to control Danny Phantom?"

"It's a supernatural scepter that's been passed down through my family for generations," said Freakshow. "I don't know where it came from or how it was created. But that crystal ball at the top hypnotizes ghosts and allows you to command them to do whatever you want."

"Really?" Maddie stared into the swirling orb. "And how did your family come to possess something like this?"

"I was told my great great great grandfather found it and used it to control ghosts for his performances," said Freakshow. "I don't know how true that is. All I know is I've got it now."

"And you use it to control ghosts to steal for you," said Jack, gesturing to the gold, cash, and jewelry filling the caboose.

"Yes. Well. Running a circus isn't all that profitable on its own," said Freakshow with a shrug.

"And what exactly is your interest in Danny Phantom?" Maddie looked away from the crystal ball to glare at Freakshow. "Why have you been hypnotizing him to steal for you?"

"I had heard a lot about this white-haired ghost boy in the news and figured he'd make a great addition to my cast," said Freakshow. "He seemed to be a powerful ghost but meek and submissive enough that I could maintain control over him."

"He's not yours to control." Maddie aimed her gun at him again.

"Okay, all right!" Freakshow raised his hands in surrender. "I'll stop hypnotizing him."

"He can't be trusted, Maddie," said Jack. "I think we should just smash it."

"No!" shrieked Freakshow. "Don't, please. It's a family heirloom. My parents would probably start haunting me if I broke it, and I was so glad when they died."

"He's right, Jack. We can't destroy something like this." Maddie gazed into the crystal ball again. "It's far too incredible."

"Yes, thank you," said Freakshow, sighing with relief.

Maddie looked over at Jack. "We should take it back to the lab and run some tests on it."

"What?" cried Freakshow. "Wait, you can't—"

"But first…" Maddie returned her attention to Freakshow. "I want to see more of this staff's power in action."

Jack frowned. "Maddie, what are you thinking?"

"You will continue using this staff a little longer to control Danny Phantom," said Maddie.

Freakshow quirked a brow. "Wait, are you saying you want me to hypnotize him now?"

"Yes." Maddie held out the staff but withdrew it right when Freakshow was about to take it. "With our direction and supervision."

"What does that mean?" asked Freakshow, sounding annoyed.

"It means you can only command him to do what we authorize," said Maddie. "We will be in constant communication to make sure you comply. Which means you need to give us front-row seats for all of your upcoming circus performances here in town."

"What kind of commands would we be authorizing?" asked Jack, folding his arms. Maddie dismissed his question with a wave of her hand.

"I don't understand," said Freakshow. "First you barge in here and shoot me in the leg, and now you're asking me to work with you?"

"You'll be working for us," said Maddie. "We are in charge of this operation."

"Really? And you don't think I can just use my staff to summon my ghost minions to take both of you out?" asked Freakshow.

"You're not the only one who has powerful ghosts working for you," said Maddie. "I suggest you don't try that because it won't end well for you."

Jack nodded to himself, thinking about Vlad and all of the ghosts that worked for him. They really had nothing to worry about in that regard.

"And we can of course turn you over to the cops at any time," said Maddie, kicking at a bag of gold on the floor. "I'm sure they'd love to arrest Amity Park's most infamous serial burglar."

Freakshow blew out a long breath. "Fine. I'll do what you want. Can I please have my staff back already?"

Maddie held the staff out to him. Freakshow took a couple steps toward her, but before he could take the staff, Maddie snatched his collar and pulled him close.

"You only get one chance, Freakshow," she hissed into his face. "If you try to do anything to Danny Phantom without permission, if you harm him in any way, I will kill you."

Freakshow's face turned even whiter as he gulped. Maddie released her hold on him and shoved the staff into his hands.

"Let's go, Jack," said Maddie, turning and walking toward the door.

Jack looked at Freakshow, who was gripping his staff tightly and shaking just a little as he watched Maddie leave.

"My wife has that effect on people," said Jack with a smirk. "I wouldn't do anything to piss her off if I were you."

Freakshow stared at him with wide eyes. Jack powered down his ecto-gun and caught up with Maddie.

"We'll be staying in touch," Maddie called over her shoulder. "We expect you to be available whenever we need you."

Maddie opened the door and was just about to step out when Freakshow spoke, causing her to halt.

"Exactly what is your interest in that boy?" asked Freakshow. "Why do you care what happens to him?"

With the door still open, Maddie turned back to look right at him. "We're ghost researchers, and Danny Phantom is the most extraordinary ghost in existence. If anyone is going to be controlling him, it's going to be us."

Maddie sharply turned and exited the caboose. Jack followed right behind her without another glance at Freakshow.

Part 17

[lafcadiosadventures]

Madame Putiphar Readalong. Book One, Chapter Six:

In this short chapter we return to the theatrical scene format. It’s strongly farcical tone since we are focusing on Cockermouth. The other dramatis personae present are his wife and his henchman, Chris.

Printer's ornament by Arthur Rackham, from Tales from Shakespeare

Cockermouth continues to be a sinister caricature. We learn for example, he doesn't really wash his mouth when getting out of bed, but rather ingests a carafe of Rum, lovingly brought to him by his subordinate, Chris.

(a drink perhaps chosen for its connection with the English navy, piracy, and slavery)(in Three Fingered Jack, Borel imbues the drink with symbolism: it is used to preserve a black outlaw’s head and hand, cut for a ransom by slaves, who expect to buy their freedom with the money)

Chris language is nautical metaphors, he calls Cockermouth his commodore. He is his military subordinate working as his henchman at home, enforcing the patriarchal law at home as much as he did abroad.

He comes to report to his superior, and so, we hear the scene between Pat and Debby again. Stripped of all poetry or feelings. The effect is almost like that of reading a novel and then reading a malicious review by a spiteful critic. (like reading this novel and then the Janin review of it) We know the love and affection that motivated the lovers, the events are distorted by Chris’ cynical gaze. So we get a story within a story, highlighting the importance of how the story is told, of point of view in story telling. Give the same basic plot to five writers and you will have 5 widely different stories.

(Chris adores Cockermouth and sounds extremely enthusiastic towards committing violence-especially to Patrick, whom he detests, for reasons undisclosed for now)(one is almost endeared by Chris, ultra violent henchman drooling for his boss’ approval. He seems so eager to please, he reminds me a bit of Balzac’s Paccard, and his unrequited crush on Vautrin. The difference here as we will see, is that there’s nothing really formidable about Lord Cock. His fits of rage almost finish him, Chris could kill him if he wanted, even Lady Cockermouth could. His power is merely the social capital he has inherited, he himself is a pathetic man)

Via Chris’ story we get confirmation that Debby was being followed, and the stealing of the shawl and the shot were deliberately done to frighten and discipline her into obedience. Chris doesn’t fail to tell Lord Cock that he heard Debby say “my mother has warned me we should be careful!”

Once again Lord Cockermouth has a catastrophic outburst, this time he seems at the edge of a heart attack. When he hears Chris has not murdered Pat in cold blood, he has a massive meltdown. He is a force of nature. His fists thrash the wall, his feet crush the bed’s panels. Even Chris is rather shocked at the sight. He is also utterly heartbroken for having failed to murder Pat, out of submissiveness to his lord since he was waiting for his order. His deference has costed him his Lord’s approval.

Cockermouth sends Chris out under the threat of death.

He rings for his wife (i don’t know why the Lady of the house answers the ringing but w/e, it’s not relevant really, we are not in a realist novel)(she is a vassal of sorts to her husband, so it makes sense in a way)

Lord Cockermouth is completely drained, he cannot stand, he barely can breathe or speak. (i regret to inform that Lady Cockermouth does NOT seize the day and whack his head with a frying pan/vase. Because she totally could have rid herself and her daughter of him)(i mean, her submission is so engrained in her brain that she wouldn’t dare, even if she had the chance, and that is not her fault, it’s years of physical and psychological abuse weighing her down) But she lets him catch his breath. Her shock is interpreted as fake innocence. She tries to win him over with caresses, this triggers a reflex of repugnance in Lord Cockermouth, (who calls her in English in the original text: a saint-hearted milk soup) He has not only beat her to submission, but deepens the humiliation by being disgusted when she acts submissive, like she was trained possibly from before the marriage.

Lord C ironically sings her praises, trying to get her to confess that she has been “prostituting their daughter”, but she is in the dark. So Lord C repeats what Chris has told him. Lady C explains as the reader already knows Debby promised she would end her relationship with Pat. She declares she is ready to respond for her daughter with her own head (a bold move, being a woman in a Borel fiction, betting your head is. Very bold)(the insistence of Lord Cockermouth repeating YOUR HEAD!?!??! would have made me think this was foreshadowing, if I hadn’t read the novel before)

Cockermouth mocks lady C for believing in their chastity. This outrages the Lady. Her husband is incapable of understanding disinterested love, affection that does not expect something in return. How could he understand, when he is a satyr and a faun.

Both figures alluding in coloquial speech to men with a high sexual appetite, but also mythological figures connected with rape. He is a voracious, violent man, and we are not surprised at the implication that he has not treated his wife with gentleness or respect in their sexual relationships. We are surprised perhaps, to see her bring it up, confronting him for it, to defend her daughter’s reputation. Not her right, sadly to exert her autonomy and desires in a way her mother never could.

Lady Cockermouth closes the chapter with this also eloquent reproach to his husband, translation by @sainteverge:

“You have been a bad son: you are a bad spouse, and you will be a bad father, my lord” (will be not as in the future, but you are determined by your past to be a bad father)

Fatalism, or intergenerational trauma. Has Lord Cockermouth been a bad son? Or would it be more accurate to say he has been raised in a brutal manner, taught that this is the only manner, thus perpetuating the brutality? Since these are nobles in an imperialistic country, exerting imperial power abroad, family affairs and state affairs are heavily linked. Matters of the family are perhaps never entirely personal and private, but here less of all. Lord Cockermouth had to be moulded and fitted into the role he was supposed to play.

[indynerdgirl]

notes & observations from watching Top Gun: Maverick a stupid number of times

The plaque that Maverick takes his aviators off of in the opening scene mentions the 412th Test Wing, an Air Force wing based out of Edwards Air Force Base in California (not to far from the Mojave desert). I was a bit confused since Mav is obviously still in the Navy, but after some googling I did find out Edwards AFB does host VX-9 Detachment Edwards, which is a part of the Navy's Operational Test and Evaluation Force (the rest of VX - 9 is stationed at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake at China Lake, California). So maybe Mav is a part of VX - 9 at the beginning of the movie.

I also finally noticed that during the Darkstar test flight sequence, there is a map tracking exactly where Maverick is as he's flying Darkstar. Assuming he took off from Edwards, this is the flight path the map shows and where Maverick crashes (some where over southwest Idaho). Just looking at where he crashed, I highly doubt it was just a helicopter ride back the next day so that's another example of the movie not understanding how time & distance work in the real world (I'm looking at you, scene that makes it look like Rooster & Mav get to the F-14 in just minutes instead of the at least 2hrs it more likely took).

Going by the quick glances we get of how they're all sitting together when Warlock is introducing Maverick, combined with the quick glances inside the cockpits during the dogfight training montage I can say with a good amount of confidence that Fritz is a single seater and that Harvard is Yale's WSO and Halo is Omaha's WSO.

A random thing about Cyclone - in the scene where he's chewing Mav out for breaking the hard deck, you can see a bag of golf clubs leaning against the wall behind Warlock.

Iceman has two multi-line phones sitting on his desk in his home office. Man is in charge of the entire Pacific fleet so there is no doubt he has to make a lot of phone calls. I also bet that one of those phones has direct access to the White House and/or the Pentagon.

Rooster & Bob are both wearing the 1st Navy Jack Shoulder Patch on their left shoulders instead of the American Flag. Not sure if they're allowed to wear this patch instead of the American Flag or if it was just a mistake by the movie's wardrobe department.

You can see Hondo wearing a version of it when he's sitting in the back of the classroom when Cyclone is telling them Maverick has been pulled from the mission. His looks like this and he has a green/black American flag on the other shoulder.

The honor guard at Ice's funeral is comprised entirely of Marines. I know the Marines are a part of the Navy, but I would have thought the honor guard for someone like Ice would have been all sailors instead.

I just really want to know how in the heck Penny already knew about Maverick getting pulled from the mission/grounded after Ice's funeral before he got to her. I know she's an admiral's daughter so what kind of connections does she still have that news like that got to her that fast???

For anyone wondering, the enemy 5th Gen fighters shown in the movie are Russian made Sukhoi Su-57s.

And while the movie obviously never names a specific country as 'the enemy', based on what the target is, the terrain, and the fact that 'the enemy' still has old F-14s, it's obviously Iran. They're also the only country in the world still flying F-14s.

While the movie makes it look like it took just a few minutes for Mav to find Rooster and for the two of them to steal the F-14, the time between Mav going down and Rooster turning his eSat on is (like I mentioned earlier) more like 2-3 hours, minimum. It probably took Mav a minimum of 20mins to get to Rooster and then it definitely took them at least an hour to get to the ridge over looking the bombed out air field and then another 30-45mins of sneaking down said ridge without getting caught.

That crazy maneuver the enemy fighter does is called Kvochur's Bell Maneuver. You can see a video of a plane doing it here. (the Cobra maneuver Mav does in the dogfight training montage is also a real thing and you can watch an F-18 do one here)

Going with the assumption the target is in Iran, the carrier they launch from is in the Persian Gulf. So it probably took a good 48hrs to get everyone out there and on the ship and then another 48hrs to get everyone home. There for it is also physically impossible for the carrier to make it back to San Diego the next day after the mission. Honestly, between how long it would take to get back and all of the debriefing, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a week post-mission before Maverick walked into the bar looking for Penny.

[will-you-pick-me]

my mc is going to be the most innocuous person and then they open up the can of worms that is it's crazy, im SO excited !!!! also the yn playlist is so fun already eheheee!!! Here's a specific question for each of them: ideal outing?

Super glad you're enjoying the playlist! A few songs are references to how the LI's treat them in their bad endings... I wonder if you can figure out who had what ;3 And yessss I LIVE for an unhinged Y/N, make him WORSE honey!!! Or become the worst... Y/N is only one character away from "yan", after all >:3c

As for ideal outings---

Mikey is the stereotypical take-you-on-a-joyride-on-his-motorcycle-and-paint-the-town-red type of guy. Go movie hopping, steal snacks from a convenience store, maybe tag a rich guys house with some spraypaint - it's chaos, but DAMN do you feel alive while doing it.

Ulrich will likely just take you out shopping, until you have a fancy enough outfit - WITH accessories, and a handbag if you're femme, he's not a plebian - and then it's off to the hairstylist, and only THEN will he take you out to dinner. And it's a ridiculously fancy place, too - crystal chandelier hanging over a dancefloor, each table only meant for two, the linens probably the brightest and cleanest white you've ever seen, and at least one of the walls is entirely dedicated to an expensive-looking wine collection. It's easy for most average people to feel stifled and uncomfortable in a place like this, especially knowing you probably would have been treated like you were homeless if you'd shown up in your normal clothes. If Ulrich noticed your discomfort though, it's impossible to tell - he carries on with dinner as if you're just another one of the business officials he works with.

Zach is perfectly happy to just stay at home with you. They have plenty to offer right in their own living room, after all, so unless you ask for something specific and bring your own ideas to the table, they're not going out of their way to leave the nest. They feel much more comfortable when they know you're here, and safe, anyways. But if there's nowhere you want to go explore, then go ahead and pick out a movie or TV show, and they'll gladly tuck you into chunky yarn blankets and bring you your favorite hot drink.

Jessica, it depends on the season. In colder weather, she's reluctant to leave the fireside, preferring to sit in the flame's light with you in peaceful silence with a good book. But when warmer weather hits, she's all revved up to get outside, see the sun, hear the birds, and maybe even do a little foraging for wild raspberries - they taste SO much better than those bloated things in the store, trust her - and to visit faires and carnivals and parks.

Jack is a little bit of a yes-man - he'll automatically defer to anything you want to do, but if you insist that you want to do something he enjoys... You're paying a visit to the woods with him. Now might be a good time to keep an eye out for any other signs of life. ... I mean, wildlife is beautiful, right? Imagine seeing a wild deer or turkey after all! Ahahaha...

Narrator will also be content doing whatever makes you happy, as long as he gets to hold you and reassure himself that this is really real. Assuming this is after you set him free, then being outdoors where there's wind and sun will be his favorite thing - but even the moon and stars will hold importance to him, even if the inky black they swim in reminds him of the void. You might catch him pausing to just touch all the plants, a quiet sort of wonder and awe in his expression. You might also recognize that expression from when he looks at you.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Bad News

This country depresses the shit out of me.

A thing that’s been in the news lately was some lovely lady was growing vegetables in her allotment and giving them to the needy. Now, we probably wouldn’t have heard anything about this, except that someone else apparently took exception to this. Did they destroy the garden? Not quite in the way you’d think. They didn’t uproot plants that I know about; they salted the earth. I mean, I mostly grow herbs with the occasional strawberry and tomato; I tried some veg last year and it was only a partial success and I worked hard. I cannot imagine how that poor woman must have felt when she came to do some weeding and harvesting and found that. There’s no coming back from that. There’s no replanting until they can deal with the salination level of the soil. That’s just atrocious.

And then there’s Andrew Edwards, a councillor in Pembrokeshire. He has literally been recorded saying that “all white men should have a black man or a black woman as a slave” and “there’s nothing wrong with skin colour; it’s just that they’re lower class than us white people”. This is all still under investigation, because Edwards refuses to confirm or deny and threw it at an Ombudsman. I don’t really trust the Ombudsmen anymore, honestly, but ... oh, hell, I don’t even know anymore. I wouldn’t put it past any of them, honestly, either side of the political divide in this case.

Because there is no political divide anymore. Starmer’s throwing his entire party manifesto out the window to be in lockstep with Tory ideology, apparently trying to steal votes from them and ignoring the votes of people who don’t want any more of this shit. Recently backtracked on standing behind the Gender Recognition Act, instead saying he wants to “reach a consensus”. There is no ‘consensus’ to be reached here! Trans people just want to live as the gender with which they identify, and their allies want that for them; the other side wants them gone or dead! The only middle ground that exists there, if you want to call it that, is “They can exist but their lives have to be miserable and we have to be able to misgender them and force them into unsafe spaces all we want”, and that’s not existing! That’s not middle ground! That’s “Maybe if we make them unhappy enough, they’ll go away and / or die”, and that’s grotesque!

I cannot do anything about any of this. I live in what has been a fairly safe Labour seat (though I don’t know what’s going to happen in future given that Labour is just the Tories with a red tie now) but that means jack all when there’s an 80 seat Tory majority and a string of Prime Ministers we didn’t even get to vote for. We don’t get a vote for PM for another year at least anyway. I hate this country like you would not believe. I know it’s a vocal minority that’s being like this, but that vocal minority has the money and the power and the rest of us are stuck suffering for their comfort, all the way across the board.

So I may be ever so slightly depressed.

However, there are good things. My friends love me and I love them in return. My plants are thriving - my tomatoes sprouted already, and there’ll be pictures when the light’s a little less iffy (it’s been partly cloudy today, so the sunshine comes and goes). Somehow looking at my growing seedlings makes me feel better. And I still have a couple of days off and new House Flipper DLC, so there’s some Zen that should help. Though doing a farm DLC, and even looking at my plants, still gets me thinking of that poor woman with the allotment. At least her Gofundme to keep helping people is going well, but nothing will take away the sting of someone going that far to ruin so much hard work so completely. I hope they find that asshole and I hope they go to jail.

[jb3islife]

Love is Like a Playing Card (J. Daniel Atlas) Chapter XVIII

“So,” Walter said, backing away from Merritt, “how’d I do it? Easy. You see, magicians like to control other people’s perceptions. In your heightened state of agitation, you saw the simplest cues- black tube, roof, and your mind filled in the rest. The tube you meant to go down was twenty feet to your right.” The Horsemen tensed. “Come on, sit down, sit down. There’s no point in standing there.”

The guards forced the Horsemen to the couch where Walter stood. Sutton sat down next to Lula, followed by Danny. “Anyway,” Walter continued, “once in the tube, yes, you’re right- blah, blah, blah. The strobe contained UV letters pulsing the word ‘sleep.’ That combined with the sound led you into an instant alpha pattern. You two,” he smiled, pointing to Sutton and Danny, “were actually quite cute. All cuddled into one another.” Sutton and Danny glanced at one another, blushing.

“And from then on, it really was just fun.” Walter ran over to the couch, squeezing himself between Jack and Lula. Sutton scooted herself closer to Danny, her legs practically on top of his. “And I can assure you, you don’t know what happened.”

Walter started a video which he cleverly titled “Our Trip to Macau.” Light music filled the air as embarrassingly uncomfortable photos of the Horsemen scrolled across the screen.

“That’s really creepy,” Lula said. Walter chuckled. “Really, really creepy.”

“That’s not cool,” Merritt stated as a picture of him and Walter showed on the screen.

“Yep, easy stuff, magic,” Walter announced. “I mean, if you put your mind to it.” 

A picture of Walter kissing Sutton’s cheek as he pushed Danny away appeared. Sutton gasped, appalled, as the others sucked in a breath. Sutton felt Danny’s body tense at the sight. She took a cautious glance to see his jaw clenching tightly. “Alright, that’s enough,” Danny told Walter. He sucked in a breath to calm himself down, Sutton running a hand down his arm. “So-so why are we here then, besides you getting to show off how adorably clever you are?”

“Not to mention how pissed you’ve just made Atlas,” Merritt murmured. Sutton glared at him.

“Well, to start with,” Walter explained, “the man you stole from last year, turns out I invested quite a lot of money in some of his companies so a lot of what you stole was in fact mine. Good news is, it’s very easy for you to pay me back. I just need your skills.” A picture of Owen Case flashed on the screen. “Owen and I were like the Beatles, if the Beatles had been-”

“Elfin?” Sutton suggested. “Creeps?”

“Geniuses,” Walter clarified.

“Pretty sure the Beatles were geniuses,” Lula reminded Walter.

“And like them,” Walter continued, ignoring Lula’s comment, “we had a dream. Could we create actual, genuine magic?”

“And I’m guessing one of you achieved that dream, and it wasn’t you?” Merritt concluded.

“That is what he would like you to think,” Walter said, standing. Sutton moved herself to a bit more comfortable position on the couch with the gift of space. “My vision was a perfect blend of intelligence and technology, but Owen wanted it for himself so he humiliated me by exposing my private files to the board of directors. Convinced them that I am unstable.”

“Did you take a picture of him while he was sleeping?” Danny cockily questioned. Sutton snorted.

“He had me kicked out of my own company and now he goes around taking credit for a chip that’s not just a key to one computer, but every computer system on the planet,” Walter explained. “It can unencrypt anything, crack the defense firewall, manipulate markets, and spy on anyone.” The Horsemen sighed. “And now it’s being sold to the highest bidder.”

“If you’re so rich, why don’t you just buy it?” Jack questioned him.

“So he gets the money and the pleasure? No. No, no, no. Besides, why would I buy it when I can have you steal it for me?”

“Oh,” Lula gasped. The Horsemen chuckled.

“It’s being previewed tomorrow by various suitors,” Walter stated, “which include your targets. A crew led by a South African gangster.” Lula mocked him. “Yes, so how your team gets past security, that’s up to you. But once you do, you just need to inspect it and steal it.”

“That’s it?” Danny questioned.

“Yeah, come on. This is perfect for you, isn’t it? You’re magicians and thieves.”

“What makes you think we’d even consider doing this?” Jack asked Walter.

“Um, wait, I had a reason. What was it? Ah, yes! You see, back home you’re wanted criminals, but here, I control the police, the casinos, the media. I can give you a new life, out of hiding,” Walter explained. Sutton’s ears perked up. She looked at Danny who looked back at her. The other Horsemen were contemplating it as well. “And, if you don’t, I’ll have you killed.”

The Horsemen stared at Walter, challenging him. He smiled, trying his best to be charming. “You know what?” Jack spoke up as he stood. “I’m not stealing a thing for you, not unless Dylan tells me it’s okay.”

“Really? And Dylan’s where exactly?” Walter questioned.

“It doesn’t matter. Yeah, I’m with him,” Lula stated, standing beside Jack. “So you can go ahead and kill us because I’m not going to steal anything for you either.”

“Huh, strikes me that a consensus seems to be forming, Walter,” Merritt concluded, taking his place beside the other two rebels, “and we’re calling your bluff.” 

The three looked back at Danny and Sutton as they sat together. Sutton glanced down at her fingers, thinking about Henley and why she left. Just as Sutton was about to say her piece, Danny spoke. “Actually, we’ll do it,” Danny stated as the others questioned him. “We’re in Macau. The oldest magic store in the world is here. We’ll get the supplies we need and, uh, we’ll do it.”

Danny stood and shook Walter’s hand, receiving a “thank you.” Walter walked off, leaving the Horsemen standing there in the empty room.

[afterglow-tommylee]

Chapter 10. Catch Me I’m Falling Through

The House Of Blues, Las Vegas Nevada Feb 17 2002

"Where am I going?" Lizzy says to me as I head out of Tommy's dressing room to hear her.

"Take a right off Frank Sinatra Blvd and it's on the opposite side of the Skyfall Lounge - 

"Oh ok I see what you mean - 

"You see it?" I say as I walk down the long fluorescent lit hallway

"Yea, Yea,"

"Ok text me when you're out front, I'll come and meet you" I say.

"Ok girl," Lizzy says sweetly.

"Ok," I say and take the phone from my ear and flip it closed. 

Man, I really need to get a Blackberry or somethin 'cause this little flip phone is a pain to work with sometimes. 

I then make my way through the backstage door as the crew sets up for the show tonight when I suddenly get a buzz from my phone right away. Looking at the display I see that Lizzy had texted that she was out front and so I slid my phone into my back jeans pocket and headed towards the front doors of the club. 

"Lizzy!" I call out to her once she steps out of the cab. She quickly turns, her beautiful red wavy locks fluttering in the wind.

"Hey Sweetie!" She smiles at me and walks towards me wearing high waisted black bell bottom pants, houndstooth printed pointed boots and a plain white fitted low cut crop top with wide belled sleeves. I swear she looked like someone straight out of the '70's and so gorgeous.

'Wow you look freakin' amazing! Holy shit Lizzy," I saw just in awe of how different she looked from her usual style.

"Really? I was so self conscious about this shirt so I wasn't sure," She says looking down at herself and touching her hand to her bare midriff. "You look so good too, I mean you were always so good at making your shirts like that" She adds gesturing to me.

I look down at myself wearing my low rise ripped light wash jeans and silver studded belt - with my doc martens - of course and my Mayhem band shirt that I cut into a loose fitted crop top but left the T-Shirt sleeves as they were and just cut off the hem so it looks less structured - cause normally I would just hack off the sleeves and make it into a tank. I do feel a little exposed but it's so hot in Las Vegas that I don't even care right now. 

"Thank you, but um, let's get you inside before someone steals you away from a certain Steele," I say and she laughs.

"Yea well, about that..." She trails off as we walk together through the front entrance to The House Of Blues.

"Why? What happened?" I ask, waving at a few crew members as they bring more equipment to the stage. 

"Peter and I broke up. We broke up and I left him," She says quickly, which makes me stop in my tracks for a moment. I take her hand and she looks at me with a stale expression as if at any moment she would crumble if anyone mentioned the name Peter Steele to her.

"Oh Lizzy, oh no, I am... so sorry," I say and embrace her in a hug. She wraps her arms around me tightly and we hold each other for a few moments and I hear a few sniffles coming from her.

"I'm ok, really..." She says as she pulls away from me and looks down at herself.

'C'mere, let's get a drink," I say gesturing to the bar that was a few feet ahead.

" I wanted to mention it to you when you called me last week but - " She says as we approach the bar.

"No, it's ok. It's not something you can just mention on the phone, I totally get that," I say and order us a couple of shots along with a Jack and Coke for each of us.

"Man, I was so excited when you asked me to come and hang out with you here. I really just needed to get away," She says.

"Awe sweetie of course," I say and give her another hug. "What happened?" I add once she pulls away from me again.

"Well, we'd been having issues for a while, and when I left you that note back in L.A I thought he wanted to work stuff out y'know, cause I know I did. But it - we just - I don't know..." She trails off and the bartender sets our drinks in front of us. I thank him and hand her the shot glass of Jack. We clink our glasses together, and then down our shots at the same time. 

"Do you have a place to stay?" I ask as I set the empty shot glass back on the bar. 

'Yea, yea I'm staying with my sister for now, I'm just being dramatic. I just hate this feeling y'know?" She says setting her shot glass down as well and then taking a sip of her drink. 

Oh do I ever

"Yea," I say and take a sip of my drink. I can tell that she's still so upset but holding it together as best she can since it's definitely not the first time for her. 

"Ok well, tonight we are going to have so much fun, you won't even think about - what's his name again?" I say and she giggles.

"Thank you," She says and we lean into each other for another hug. I feel for her so much. 

"So, you and Tommy huh?" She smiles at me once we pull away from each other and takes a sip of her drink. 

"Uh huh, yea well..." I trail off for a moment and sip my drink.

"What? You love him don't you?" She says as she stands closer to me looking right at me.

"Pfff, no," I say and take another sip.

"You do too, I can see it," She giggles.

"See what?" I say trying to be cool about it when I seriously wanted to shout it from the rooftop.

"Andi..." She says looking right at me still and I couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Ok, yes. Yes I am in love with him, I am so, so in love with him I can't even fucking think straight, I just haven't told him yet and I'm so scared to, " 

"Awe girl, that's so amazing... wait why? " She says getting excited and then looks at me confused.

"I have no idea if he even feels the same about me yet and I just...  I don't want to get hurt again,"

"Oh he totally loves you, are you kidding? He so does not seem like he would ever hurt you. Where is he?" She says as she turns around to scan the place, looking up at the stage where the crew was still setting up the gear.

"How do you know? You haven't even met him yet," I laugh.

"Yea well, I know him from you 'cause you gush about him and how sweet he is to you all the time," She giggles.

"Not all the time, only when you ask me about him," I say and take a sip and she laughs

"Ok well... where is he so I can actually meet him then?" She says with a chuckle.

"Backstage... c'mon," I say nodding towards the backstage door and she walks with me.

As we head through the backstage door, walk down the fluorescent lit hallway and round the corner, a few crew members come up to me and ask a couple of questions,  say hi to me and wave, then pass by the one dressing room that had all of his band mates with their friends, girlfriends and wives laughing and having a good time. I pop in for a moment to see if anyone needed anything, making sure that everyone was having fun, then Lizzy and I headed further down the hallway.

"What?" I ask with a chuckle as she smiles looking at me.

"Nothing, it's just so cool how you're so like, cool with everyone, like you just know what you're doing," She says

"Well I'm glad it looks like I know what I'm doing," I giggle and she laughs.

"You know what I mean," She laughs again.

We finally reach Tommy's dressing room down at the very end of the hall, the loud music just pumping.

"What is this like a club or something?" Lizzy giggles.

"I know right? He brought his whole like, system with him," I say. 

Though I love all music genres I was never much for club music, but the stuff that Tommy plays is pretty cool. It's actually heavy, not something I ever thought 'dance' music- if you want to call it that - could be. I was just so used to mainstream stuff that I thought all dance music just sounded the same with the same beat and loops, but no... the feel of that deep bass is just like as if it was an electro version of metal. Which I think that's why I love industrial so much, but I never considered that to be electro based. 

I slowly open the door and see the room filled with a lot of his friends just laughing and having a great time. Tommy had brought his DJ system along with us which at first I thought he was crazy, but it actually was really quick to set up. It's just a P.A system with 2 tall speakers with an internal sub and 2 turntable decks. I had no idea that he was so into that kinda thing either until he showed me in his studio that week that I spent with him. I love how he has so many musical tastes, ones that I never thought he would be into, and I'm pretty sure he didn't imagine me being so much into extreme metal like I am either. 

"Hell yeeeeahhh! whoo!" Tommy exclaims and everyone yells with him as the bass drops and switches to another track as he finishes spinning. Then Mike takes over - mix master Mike that is. Yes, that one who DJ's for the Beastie Boys. 

As Lizzy and I step inside, I am greeted by a few more of Tommy's friends that had showed up while I was outside meeting Lizzy.  It was just a mixture of everyone from Matt Sorum, who I had already met briefly when Soundgarden toured with Guns N Roses to Nick Carter - and yes that Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys. 

"No way," I say.

"What?" Lizzy says and looks in the direction of the person that caught my eye. 

"Jerry?" I call, and I see Jerry Cantral turn and look at me taking a sip of his beer, then a smile suddenly spreading across his face. 

"Andi, hey sweetie," He says walking over to me and I laugh, completely surprised that he is here. He grabs me and embraces me and we hold each other for a few moments. It had been so long since I had seen him, I had no idea that he was here. 

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" I ask as he still holds me.

"Tommy called me and asked me to come and hang out at the show tonight," He says. "He uh, mentioned somethin' about this chick he's seeing, you have any idea who she is?" He adds with a smirk as I pull away from him. 

"Jeezus, he just has to tell everyone eh?" I chuckle. 

"Can you blame him?"

"No," I giggle and Jerry laughs. 

"Oh um, shit... sorry this is my friend Lizzy," I say, turning from him remembering that Lizzy was still beside me. 

"Hi," She says shyly.

"Hi," Jerry smiles back and extends his hand for her to shake. 

"Hey baby," 

I quickly turn around and see Tommy in a white fitted tank displaying his incredible tattoos as usual, leather wrist cuffs, his necklaces laying perfectly against his chest, ripped jeans, and his black and white chuck taylors.

"Baby," I say excitedly, wrapping my arms around him and he presses his lips to mine while his hands move to my hips and then to the small of my back holding me to him. He smells so sweet like a mixture of freshness, sugar and musk that makes me want to never let go. 

"I take it they're like this all the time?" Jerry says to Lizzy and she shrugs.

"From what I can tell," She says and as much as I didn't want to pull away from Tommy I knew I had to. With his hands still holding me to him, I reluctantly pull my lips away from him and he finally then sees Jerry standing there with Lizzy. 

"Hey, man, glad you made it out," Tommy says as I move myself away from him and he shakes Jerry's hand.

"Of course man," Jerry smiles and they give each other a quick brotherly hug. They talk for a few moments, catching up and I had no idea that they actually had known each other for years.

Like, where the hell was I when this happened? Oh right... Chris. 

"Um... Lizzy right?" Tommy says second guessing himself for a moment as he turns to her.

"Yes," She smiles, pushing her red waves out of her eyes. 

"Hi sweetie," Tommy says in that sweet voice he has, extending his hand for her to shake. She takes it and as he leans in to give her a kiss on her cheek, I could see her face flush a light shade of pink.

"Hi," She says shyly once she pulls away from him. 

"I'll uh let you guys chill, I'm gonna make the rounds and... whatever," Tommy says, turning back to me.

"Ok, um... I think everything's pretty much set up for tonight. Do you need anything else, or need anything from me?" I ask looking around at the crowd of people in the room then back into those dark eyes of his. 

"I can think of a few things," He says leaning down to me, his voice low and husky in my ear. 

He then places his lips to that spot under my earlobe sending chills all over my body. I close my eyes feeling the softness of his lips and desperately wanting them all over every inch of my body. I find myself leaning into him, and he touches his forehead to mine before placing his lips on mine once more, lingering for a few seconds quickly becoming eager and intense as I place my palm on his cheek. 

Say it Andrea, just fucking say it!

He then parts his lips from mine reaching up and taking my hand, placing a kiss on my palm before turning and heading to the crowd full of his closest friends.

**********

"...you motherfuckers are gettin quiet, this sucks," Tommy says to the crowd and some of them cheer and some of them laugh. 

It was towards the end of his set and just after midnight, the drinks flowing and everyone having a good time backstage. Lizzy had run into a couple of her friends that were having a girls weekend and staying at the hotel casino just around the block, so there was even more of a crowd backstage. I was standing off to the side towards the backstage door which is my usual spot in case anyone needed anything or if there were some last minute changes that somehow always happen. Tonight's show went absolutely smoothly, no equipment issues, no sound problems, nothing. It was one of the best ones I've organized in a really long time. 

"This next song uh... I 'm actually excited to play it cause it's one of my favorite songs I've ever written...I uh, just wanna say that, if you ever find love out there, or you've lost love and thought you'd never find it again, you will ok...? 'cause I know I did... This song's called 'Blue'" 

He begins, and I watch him from the side, listening to him and it was like nothing I expected. He's completely soulful, his voice husky with such emotion, that I never knew he could let out. As he continues I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, my breath hitching in my throat as he sang:

"... all I gotta do is look around and see,

It seems so strange, you're here to stay,

Ooooh, I love you..."

He then turns looking at me, the mic in his hand, the flashing lights from the stage, in just his ripped jeans as he had tossed his shirt off some time ago and the crowd cheers as he slowly walks towards me.

"I'm fallin, fallin' through,

If I'm not with you all I wanna do is feel blue,"

He stops for a moment feeling the music, turning to the crowd as they cheer again, then turns back slowly walking towards me again.

What is he doing? Oh My God what is he doing?

"I see that I'm next to you,

You're next to me,

How could it be this way, yeah

I thought I was close to you,

You were close to me,

Why do I feel so blue....?"

Then he crouches down and begins to scream again,

"I see that I'm next to you,

You're next to me,

How could it be this way, yeah

I thought I was close to you,

You were close to me,

Why do I feel so blue....?"

and as I watched him the entire time, it felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest. He then stands and steps as close as he can get to me and sings,

"So in love with you, I feel blue,"

and as he sang that last line, the band still playing, the lights still flashing and with the microphone just out of reach of our voices he says "I'm fuckin' in love with you baby,"

It felt like my heart stopped and floated right out of my body, hovering above me with little wings telling me I need to say it back. I never thought I could ever feel this way again. The feeling of pure intense love for someone that I never expected to fall for.

"I'm so fucking in love with you," I breathe, feeling shaky like this wasn't really happening. He looks into my eyes with that charming smile and I reach up as he leans down to me, his lips crashing to mine full of passion and hunger, my fingers threading through his damp locks, not wanting to ever let go.

[m0oooon-presence]

I was bored so I gave an AI a prompt and it generated this whole story. I think it rules

"I do need to go into town for some supplies," Jack said, staring at Mephisto. "My driver won't be able to get to me without the cargo."

Mephisto cackled, raising his arms in the air. He let the rope slip through his fingers and disappeared over the cliff side. Jack chased him down, leaping over the chasm and cutting the rope. The two beasts hissed and danced in their new territory.

I hated my job, too, Jack thought. I wanted a dog named Blue or Sandy.

This is the place. The old well, and the shed. We'll ride. Let's ride.

He knelt down and looked over the edge, down past the old warehouse and into the unlighted darkness below. The water churned and churned. I like swimming in the water down there, he thought.

Jack put on a swimsuit and goggles and jumped in. It's cold as hell in the black water, but you don't feel it. Jack grabbed hold of the ladder and began to dance wildly, swinging back and forth and kicking up mud. It was a lark, but it was for Jack.

He swam for a long time.

Not for your sister, Jack.

He swam for the shed.

I'm here, he thought, holding onto the edge, and I'm holding onto you.

His senses were heightened, burning and growing.

He breathed like a human, but he swam like a whale.

Jack swam for what seemed like hours. As he tired, he dove under and resurfaced. Each moment, he held the edge, and breathed raspily. ''Hey.'' Mephisto said. Jack opened his eyes. The hound had crept into the shack. The little bit of light illuminated Mephisto's eyes.

He must be part fish, Jack thought.

Mephisto rested his paws on Jack's shoulder and leaned in close.

"I really didn't mean to hurt your sister."

Jack laughed.

"Why did you have her tied up?"

He nodded his head.

"I want you to kill me."

Jack squeezed his eyes shut. Mephisto's touch, cold as ice, made Jack shiver, like a fish on the beach. He opened his eyes to find the hideous demon still watching his face. "Are you trying to make me believe this isn't real?"

Mephisto shook his head.

"It's real. I just want you to kill me."

"You want me to kill you?"

"Yes."

Jack felt himself become silent, rigid, concentrating.

''You want to live forever.''

"Yes."

''Why me?"

Mephisto smiled, his teeth elongated like an animal.

''You're the only one that can kill me.''

Jack saw the flicker in the corners of Mephisto's eyes, the green fire. He wanted to close his eyes and remember what it had been like to laugh like a jackal with all the world before him, but he couldn't. He was a ghoul now.

Jack was startled by the fact that Mephisto had spoken out loud, but he didn't look down. Instead, he focused on the dead rooster on the ground.

Mephisto shifted his weight, leaning over Jack, sniffing him.

''You've tried everything to kill me, Jack."

He's right, Jack was only waiting for the right moment to kill me.

"Then let me try something," Jack said.

Jack wanted to reach for the weapon in his pants, but Mephisto had tied his hands.

He'll think I'm trying to attack him. He's acting like he's just hunting me down.

Jack swallowed hard. This is the trick, the trick that the old spirit of Volubilis played with me all those years ago.

Mephisto leaned in closer. He lowered his head to Jack's and sniffed him again.

''What do you know of the immortals?" Jack asked, his voice low.

Mephisto smiled. "Did you know that the children who steal things are called thieves?"

Jack nodded slowly.

"But they never take anything of value, do they?"

Jack shook his empty head, wishing there was something he could grab that would stop him from having to find something worth stealing.

Mephisto began to laugh, the sound like a pack of wolves heaving.

"What do you know of the many things an immortal can do?"

Jack made a move, but he couldn't seem to get his hands to move.

"Tell me Jack, what are the immortals?"

Jack said wearily, "They are older than time."

"And you want to be immortal?"

Jack nodded.

"And you know a man who can make you immortal?"

Jack didn't respond.

Mephisto's face hardened, like the sun shining on bone.

Jack felt the sting in his eyes.

"Answer me, before I do it for you."

Jack swallowed hard.

''All I know is that I want to be famous. I want people to know me.''

"They will.

They will, even if you have to die."

Jack looked into his face. Mephisto's eyes glowed.

"What do you mean by die?"

Mephisto smiled. He put one paw over Jack's heart, and the other over his brain.

"You will live forever.

You will wander for the rest of your life, singing songs."

Jack turned, leaning toward him, as he said, "Maybe someday, if I see some worthy prey, I'll take it down."

"You will want to kill your prey, Jack. If you were a strong hunter, you would."

Jack watched Mephisto.

"Then," he said, and his voice quivered, "I won't stand in your way."

"You won't?"

Jack stood on his toes and grabbed Mephisto's hand, trying to pull it against his heart, but Mephisto's grip was too strong.

"I can never kill myself, Jack. I'm forever a fool."

Then Mephisto sat up, and he laughed again, and this time, Jack's face was burned with the heat of the fires.

"Jack, it's only going to hurt for a moment."

"A moment, huh? It'll feel longer, trust me."

Jack pressed himself against the wall. His lips were numb, and his teeth ached. His arms felt hot against his body.

Mephisto's claws were dug into Jack's arms, trying to hold him in place.

"Hush, Jack."

Jack choked, swallowing. His heart was racing, and his ears were ringing. The room seemed to be swaying.

Mephisto held his hand tighter, forcing Jack's elbow hard into his ribs. Jack took in a breath, then another.

He heard a buzzing in his ears.

"Jack, close your eyes."

Mephisto looked toward him. "Jack, close your eyes and go to sleep."

Jack smiled.

"Now, that's a good hunter."

Mephisto began to remove his claws from Jack's body, and he closed his eyes, his muscles relaxing.

Then he sighed, and turned to leave.

Mephisto said, "Where are you going?"

"Just to the house, to check my computer, find out what I can."

"Jack, listen to me. Your friends will never come back."

Jack lowered his head. He had forgotten his friends.

"Hey," said a voice from the dark. "Are you done?"

Mephisto turned to face his new hunter. The smell of fur and blood washed over him.

"Did you want to be one of us, Jack?"

Jack put his hands to his face, trying to hide from the creature.

"What?"

"You would kill me?"

Jack looked up, desperate to see the face of the creature he was hiding from.

Mephisto's paw touched his cheek.

"No," he said. "I only wanted to find out your secret.

But I see now."

Mephisto ducked to the side, taking Jack's elbow with him.

"Your secret is that you're human."

"It's no secret."

"It is to everyone but me."

"It's my secret. I'm a hunter."

"There are no hunters in the bible, Jack. You're the first."

"What, then, am I?"

"I can't tell you."

"What's the rule?"

"You're not supposed to trust your hunter."

"I'll find some other way to find out. I won't be like you."

Mephisto walked to the table. He picked up a book. It was open to the page he had been reading.

"What?"

"This. They say that the better hunters have the most loyal followers."

Jack pulled his hands away from his face, wondering what Mephisto was talking about.

"Don't tell me I'm the worst."

"I've never been a better hunter."

Jack went to the next room, trying not to remember the creature he was hiding from.

Jack walked up to his computer. His left hand began to bleed, but he ignored it.

"If I'm the best hunter," he said, "then why am I here?"

Mephisto leaned against the door frame, looking at Jack through the screen.

"To see if you want to live."

Mephisto turned away from the monitor. He pulled his computer out of its plastic housing, the keys with the dots on them sliding across the screen. The words Mephisto had written were gone.

"Jack, it's time to move on. The darkness is coming.

Find a new home."

Mephisto walked out, into the darkness.

---

No one had seen or heard from Jack for almost a week. When someone asked about Jack, his fellow hunters just shrugged.

He left that night, early in the morning. He wouldn't be back.

Jack went to the house, to pack, but he couldn't find his journals. He searched the whole house, and all he could find was a book by the fireplace.

"Choose."

Jack leaned over the book, squinting at the words. The book was a fantasy. The character in the book wore a trench coat and had a gun. The character's name was Blade.

Jack, with the rest of the hunters, made sure Blade and the remaining hunters were out of the bible before they ran away.

Jack walked the main street. There was no one around.

"Where am I going?" he asked the town. He looked down at his feet, still covered in blood.

A passing car honked at him.

"Run!" yelled the voice from the car.

Jack turned and saw a shadow approach him.

"Look at my face!"

"I'm telling you to run!"

"The way out is right here!"

Jack looked up. A giant Mephisto stood in front of him.

"Go back to the factory."

"I don't want to live anymore," said Jack. "This is the way out."

The giant Mephisto grabbed Jack, lifted him off the ground, and walked away, leaving Jack a little bloodied.

Jack started walking, looking for a place to hide. The giant Mephisto eventually went into a brick building with a neon sign above.

Jack peered over the roof.

There was a ladder against the side of the building, leading into the shadows.

"Come up here," whispered a voice, behind him.

Jack stared at the ladder. He ran into the shadows, trying to be unseen.

Jack closed his eyes and threw a rock.

He heard footsteps behind him. Jack spun around, hoping to find someone behind him.

There was nothing there.

"It's dark," said a voice.

Jack turned and saw a young woman with a gun in her hand.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, annoyed.

"My name is Angel," she said. "I'm here to kill you."

She walked towards him.

Jack found a rock and hurled it at her head.

He heard her fall.

Jack looked up. The woman was a zombie.

Jack began to run, but two more zombies appeared. They took him down, and started to rip out his chest.

Jack turned. Angel was there, about to kill him.

"No!" he said.

She raised her gun.

"You have to choose," she said. "Choose, Jack. You either live, or you die."